


Aces and Eights

by BandanaBlue



Category: Alias Smith and Jones
Genre: Character Death, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 14:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10946196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BandanaBlue/pseuds/BandanaBlue
Summary: Heyes keeps seeing the same cards each time he plays poker.This is the fourth, and final, story following Forever, The Telling, and After Life.





	Aces and Eights

The signs were all there. I should have seen them, but I didn't.

How many times in the past had I been dealt aces and eights at a poker table? Heck, I can't begin to count. But how many times in one week? 

To tell you the truth, I really wasn't paying attention. I had stopped doing anything with enthusiasm since the day Jed was taken from me. That was a year ago, but the pain I still felt made it seem like yesterday. If I thought life was hard before, it was nothing compared to how it felt now and I guess I was so past caring that I had gotten a little reckless. Reckless enough to ignore the signs, anyway.

The week before, I had felt it was time I went on back into Devil's Hole to visit the Kid's grave. Wheat gave up the leader's cabin so I could have some privacy, something I had not expected him to do, but I was grateful that he did.

Hour after hour I immersed myself in a bottle or three of whiskey trying desperately to drown the ever-present sense of loss, all the time staring at Jed's brown hat and gun belt that hung in their place of honour on the roughly hewn planks of the cabin wall. 

It took a while, but eventually I felt able to reach up and take the Colt .45 from the holster. It still shone as if the Kid had just cleaned it. Can't say how long I sat there with that gun clasped in my hand, a single bullet on the table in front of me, but I didn't load it. I found myself shivering, almost feeling the icy look he would be giving me at the very thought of me harming myself, especially with his gun.

When I finally tore myself away from that place and rode out it felt kinda strange. Pausing as usual at Deadline Point, I turned to look back down Devil's Hole canyon and a feeling that I would never be there again gripped my gut so strong it had me almost doubled over in the saddle.

Then I headed to Porterville — just to ask Lom the same pointless question about the amnesty.

Having nothing better to do I spent the next few days there, in the saloon, playing poker. Lom came in to check on me a few times, but I shooed him away. I wasn't expecting any trouble. The regulars already knew me. Good ol' Joshua Smith. One of two men who had briefly worked for Miss Porter and had saved the bank's money from a bunch of outlaws who had blown up the safe along with most of the bank and saloon. They never did guess that me and the Kid were responsible for half of that explosion. 

There I go again.... my mind drifting back to the Kid and that was exactly where it was that night. It sure wasn't on the poker game.

I guess I was always amazed how bad poker players never realized just how bad they were, they just put losing down to bad luck. Until all their money was sitting in a pile in front of me, that is. Then they got mad. 

Earlier that evening I had tried real hard to lose a few hands to a fella I'd never seen before just so's he wouldn't get upset. In the end I just got bored trying and then the inevitable happened. He lost all his money and accused me of cheating.

A typical discussion ensued. Who else thought I was cheating? Had anyone actually spotted any card tricks? Any sleight of hand? No was the answer, but the fella wasn't convinced. With fire in his eyes he gave a low growl, flung back his chair, and stormed out.

Now, if the Kid had been there he'd have gotten involved right at the start, given him a choice —either back up his mouth with his gun, or leave. But, the Kid wasn't watching my back any more and so I had always figured my luck would run out sooner, rather than later. 

I let out a slow breath and smiled at my fellow gamblers as the dealer shuffled the cards. We all anted up and he dealt the next hand. I glanced at my cards — a five of hearts and two pair, aces and eights. There it was again, the so-called Dead Man's Hand. Despite the fact that it could easily be a winning hand I had an overwhelming urge to fold, but I didn't get the chance to. 

The saloon doors slammed against the wall. The fella was back, walking toward the table, and this time he had his gun aimed straight at me.

It was too late to draw my own so, with a resigned sigh, I stood. Figured if I was gonna die I didn't want to be sitting down. People scattered from the table as well as from behind me but they needn't have worried for their safety. I didn't say a single word, didn't try and talk him out of it. It would have been pointless. I knew what was gonna happen. I was gonna stop that bullet.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel a whole lot of pain as the hot slug tore into my flesh. All I can remember is how hard I hit the floor and even then, I still couldn't help a wry smile as the thought crossed my mind how easily the Kid would have shot the gun from out of his hand.

Folks gathered round, faces looked down at me. Somebody yelled for the Sheriff. I could feel the warm flow of blood run over my hand as I held it against the open wound in my chest. My lungs heaved and then barely moved. 

With the surrounding voices growing ever fainter, it all went black and then light again, like someone had blown out a match and quickly lit another.

Still clutching my chest I scrambled to my feet and looked down to see, well... me.

"Hi."

A familiar voice, but one I hadn't heard in a while startled me, made me turn, and I blinked my eyes in astonishment. There, leaning casually against the bar, his arms across his chest and a huge smile on his face, was Kid Curry. 

"Bin waitin' for ya, Heyes."

Forgetting about everything else and tears pricking at my eyes I rushed forward, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He felt kinda different. Nice, but different. I didn't care about that. I only cared that he was here. Here again, with me. 

Pulling back to look at him I asked, "Waitin'?"

"Bin kinda watchin' over ya, I guess."

"Really?"

"Yep. Every single day since that bullet did for me."

"Sheesh, Kid, I never knew."

"You didn't? I was sure you'd seen me, once or twice. Maybe felt me around ya. Like the other day when you was sittin' in the cabin back at the Hole." The smile disappeared as he frowned. "Oh, yeah, and what was you doin' sittin' there starin' at my gun like that. You'd better not have bin thinkin'..."

"It don't matter now," I said quickly, feeling ashamed of the act I had been contemplating.

Blue eyes searched my face as Jed gently took it between his palms. Then he kissed me. Jed's kisses were slow and deep, a lot like another aspect of his lovin', and I felt the world or wherever I was now, start to spin.

When he eventually came up for air I found myself swaying dangerously and so he held me until I had steadied myself. I'd had one hell of a shock and it was all just starting to sink in. There would be no more running, no more dodging posses, no more looking over my shoulder for a lawman and no more worrying about that damned amnesty.

"I guess we should go see them, now," he said, simply.

"Huh? See who?" 

Kid gently turned me round and pointed. I was so wrapped up in the fact that I was once again with this man — this man who I loved more than anything — that I had failed to notice the shadowy figures in the distance, barely visible in the glare of a blinding white light.

"Are they....?" I croaked, my silver tongue deserting me.

"Yep. Our folks - all of them. They've bin waitin' too, Heyes."

I saw the glimmer of tears in Jed's eyes and once more felt them in mine.

"I guess we've all got some catching up to do, not to mention a lot of explaining," I said wryly.

Jed laughed. "Ain't that the truth."

And so, together, we slowly walked toward the light.


End file.
